Bible in 90 Days
25 ¶ Then Bildad, the Shuhite, answered, and said,
2 Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high places.
3 Is there any number to his armies? And upon whom does his light not arise?
4 How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he that is born of a woman be clean?
5 Behold, even the moon shall not shine, neither are the stars pure in his sight.
6 How much less man, who is as a worm, and the son of man, who is also a worm?
26 ¶ Job answered and said,
2 How hast thou helped the one who has no power? Hast thou saved with thy arm the one who has no strength?
3 How hast thou counselled the one that has no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
4 To whom hast thou uttered words, and whose is the spirit that comes forth from thee?
5 ¶ Dead things are formed under the waters and of its dwelling places.
6 Sheol is naked before him, and hell has no covering.
7 He stretches out the north wind over the empty place and hangs the earth upon nothing.
8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
9 He holds back the face of his throne and spreads his cloud upon it.
10 He has compassed the waters with bounds until the end of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12 He divides the sea with his power, and by his intelligence he smites its pride.
13 By his spirit he has adorned the heavens; his hand has formed the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are parts of his ways; but how little a portion have we heard of him? For the thunder of his power, who shall understand?
27 ¶ Moreover, Job continued his parable and said,
2 As God lives, who has taken away my rights; and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3 that all the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips shall not speak iniquity, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 In no wise should I justify you; until I die I will not remove my integrity from me.
6 I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 ¶ Let my enemy be as the wicked and my adversary as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has stolen much, when God takes away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry when the tribulation comes upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?
11 ¶ I will teach you what there is in the hand of God; I will not conceal that which is regarding the Almighty.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye so completely vain?
13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God and the heritage of the violent, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14 If their sons are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death; and their widows shall not weep.
16 Though he heaps up silver as the dust and prepares raiment as the clay,
17 he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He built his house as a moth and as a booth that the keeper makes.
19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered; he shall open his eyes and not see anyone.
20 Terrors shall take hold on him as waters; a whirlwind shall carry him away in the night.
21 The east wind shall take him away, and he shall depart; the storm shall catch him up out of his place.
22 For God shall cast down on him and not spare; he would attempt to flee out of his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and from his place they shall hiss at him.
28 ¶ Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place for gold where they refine it.
2 Iron is taken out of the dust, and bronze is melted out of the stone.
3 He set a border unto the darkness, and unto every perfect work that he made, he placed a stone of darkness and shadow of death.
4 The river breaks forth next to the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot, that were higher than man, are gone away.
5 Land out of which bread comes forth, and underneath it shall be as if it were converted in fire.
6 A place where its stones shall be sapphires; and it shall have dust of gold.
7 A path which no fowl knows and which the vulture’s eye has never seen;
8 the young of the proud have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by it.
9 He put his hand upon the flint and overturned the mountains from the root.
10 He cut rivers out of the rocks; and his eye saw every precious thing.
11 He detained the rivers in their source and caused that which was hid to be brought to light.
12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man never knew its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 ¶ The deep saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire.
17 Gold cannot equal it, nor can diamond; neither shall it be exchanged for vessels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls; for wisdom is better than precious stones.
19 The emerald of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 ¶ Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living and kept concealed from every fowl of the heaven.
22 Hell and death say, We have heard its fame with our ears.
23 God understands its way, and he alone knows its place.
24 For he looks unto the ends of the earth and sees under the whole heaven,
25 To make a weight for the wind and to supply water by measure,
26 when he made a law for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunders.
27 Then he saw it and counted it; he prepared it and also searched it out.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, that the fear of the Lord, is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
29 ¶ Moreover, Job continued his parable and said,
2 Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
3 when his lamp shone upon my head, and by its light I walked in the darkness;
4 as I was in the days of my youth, when God was familiar in my tent;
5 when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;
6 when I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
7 ¶ When I went out to the gate to judgment, when I had my seat prepared in the plaza!
8 The young men would see me and hide themselves, and the aged would arise and stand.
9 The princes would refrain from talking and lay their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the principals would not be noticed, and their tongue would cleave to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ears that heard me, called me blessed; and when the eyes that saw me, gave witness to me:
12 because I delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless who had no one to help him.
13 The blessing of the one that was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me as a robe; and my diadem was judgment.
15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy; and the cause which I did not know I searched out.
17 And I broke the fangs of the wicked and caused their teeth to release the prey.
18 ¶ Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root is spread out by the waters, and the dew shall remain upon my branches.
20 My glory is renewed with me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.
21 They would hear me and wait, and keep silent at my counsel.
22 After my words they would not reply, but my reason dropped upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24 If I laughed at them, they did not believe it; and they did not cast down the light of my countenance.
25 I approved their way and sat at the head and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforts the mourners.
30 ¶ But now those that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
2 For, unto what might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom time was lost?
3 For want and famine they walked alone; fleeing into solitude, to the dark place, desolate and waste.
4 Who cut up mallows among the bushes and juniper roots for their food.
5 They were driven forth from among men (they cried after them as after a thief).
6 They dwelt in the clifts of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
8 They were sons of fools and men without names; they were lower than the earth.
9 And now I am their song, and I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they distance themselves from me, and do not spare to spit in my face.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and afflicted me, they have also gone out of control before my face.
12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.
13 They cast down my path, they took advantage of my calamity, against them there was no helper.
14 They came in as through a wide breach; they were stirred up because of my calamity.
15 ¶ They have loosed terrors upon me; they fought my will as the wind and my saving health as a cloud that passes.
16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
17 My bones pierce me in the night, and my sinews take no rest.
18 By the great force of my disease my garment is changed; it binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me; I present myself, and thou regardest me not.
21 Thou art become cruel to me; with the strength of thy hand thou dost hate me.
22 Thou didst lift me up and cause me to ride upon the wind, and didst dissolve my being.
23 For I know that thou dost conduct me unto death and to the house appointed for all living.
24 But he will not stretch out his hand against the grave; do those who are buried cry out when he destroys them?
25 Did I not weep for the one that was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26 When I expected good, then evil came unto me; and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
27 My bowels boil and do not rest; the days of affliction came upon me.
28 I went about darkened, but not by the sun; I stood up and cried out in the congregation.
29 I have become a brother to dragons and a companion to owls.
30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
31 My harp is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of those that weep.
31 ¶ I made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a maid?
2 For what reward would God give me from above and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is there no destruction for the wicked? And banishment for the workers of iniquity?
4 Does he not see my ways and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with falsehood or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
6 let me be weighed in a just balance, that God may know my integrity.
7 If my step has turned out of the way and my heart walked after my eyes and if any blot has cleaved to my hands,
8 then let me sow, and let another eat, and let my offspring be rooted out.
9 ¶ If my heart has been deceived regarding a woman, or if I have laid in wait at my neighbour’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.
11 For this is lewdness and iniquity that is proven.
12 For it is a fire that consumes unto hell and would root out all my increase.
13 If I had despised the right of my manslave or of my maidslave, when they contended with me;
14 what then would I do when God rises up? And when he visits, what would I answer him?
15 Did not he that made me in the belly also make him? And did not the same one fashion us in the womb?
16 ¶ If I have disturbed the desire of the poor or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
17 or have eaten my morsel alone and the fatherless has not eaten thereof;
18 (for from my youth the fatherless was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided the widow from my mother’s womb)
19 if I have seen any perish for want of clothing or any needy without a covering;
20 if his loins have not blessed me and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, even when I saw that they would all help me in the gate;
22 then let my back fall from my shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from its joint.
23 For I feared destruction from God, against whose highness I could have no power.
24 ¶ If I have made gold my hope or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
25 if I rejoiced because my wealth was being multiplied, and because my hand had gotten much;
26 if I beheld the sun when it shone or the moon walking in beauty;
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth kissed my hand;
28 this would also be a proven iniquity; for I should have denied the God that is sovereign.
29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of the one that hated me or lifted up myself when evil found him;
30 for I have never even suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse upon his soul;
31 when the servants of my tent said, Oh that we had of his flesh! We would never be satisfied.
32 The stranger did not lodge in the street, but I opened my doors to the traveller.
33 ¶ If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom;
34 if I feared a great multitude or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and did not go out of the door?
35 Oh that someone would hear me! Behold, my mark is, that the Almighty will testify for me, even though my adversary had written down the charges.
36 Surely I would take it upon my shoulder and bind it as a crown to me.
37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince I would go near unto him.
38 If my land cries against me and all its furrows likewise complain;
39 if I ate of its strength without money or have afflicted the soul of its owners;
40 let thistles grow up unto me instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
32 ¶ So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes.
2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, was kindled; against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
3 Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
4 Now Elihu had waited until Job had spoken because they were all elder than he.
5 But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.
6 ¶ And Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, answered and said, I am younger, and ye are older; therefore, I was afraid, and I feared to declare unto you my opinion.
7 I said, Days shall speak, and the multitude of years shall declare wisdom.
8 Certainly there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding.
9 Great men are not always wise; neither do the aged understand judgment.
10 Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will declare my knowledge.
11 Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your arguments, while ye searched out what to say.
12 Even so, I attended unto you, and, behold, there was none of you to reprove Job or to answer his words.
13 Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom; it is needful that God thrust him down, and not man.
14 Now he has not directed his words against me; neither will I answer him with your reasons.
15 ¶ They were amazed, they answered no more; they left off speaking.
16 And I waited, (for they did not speak, but stopped, and answered no more);
17 I said, I will also answer my part, I will also declare my opinion.
18 For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me.
19 Behold, my belly is as wine which has no vent; it is ready to burst forth like spirits.
20 I will speak, that I may be able to breathe; I will open my lips and answer.
21 I will not now be a respecter of persons, neither will I give flattering titles unto man.
22 For I do not know how to give flattering titles; otherwise my maker would soon take me away.
33 ¶ Therefore, Job, hear now my reasons, and hearken to all my words.
2 Behold, now I shall open my mouth, my tongue shall speak in my mouth.
3 My reasons declare the uprightness of my heart; and my lips shall utter pure knowledge.
4 The Spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.
5 If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me, stand up.
6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s stead; I also am formed out of the clay.
7 Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
8 ¶ Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
9 I am clean without rebellion, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
10 Behold, God sought occasions against me, he counts me for his enemy,
11 he put my feet in the stocks, he guards all my paths.
12 Behold, in this thou art not just; I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
13 Why dost thou strive against him? For he will not answer all of thy words.
14 ¶ Nevertheless, in one or two manners God speaks to the one who does not see.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
16 then he opens the ears of men and seals their instruction,
17 that he may withdraw the man from his own work and cover the man from pride.
18 Thus he keeps back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 ¶ He is chastened also upon his bed with strong pain in all his bones,
20 so that his life abhors bread and his soul dainty food.
21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 His soul shall draw near to the grave, and his life to those that would bury him.
23 If there is a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness;
24 to tell him that God had mercy on him, that he delivered him from going down to the pit; that he found a ransom;
25 his flesh shall become more tender than a child’s; and he shall return to the days of his youth.
26 He shall pray unto God, and he will love him; and he shall see his face with shouts of joy; for he will render unto the man the recompense of his righteousness.
27 He looks upon men, and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it did not profit me;
28 God will ransom his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29 ¶ Behold, God does all these things two and three times with man,
30 to turn back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
31 Hear me, O Job, hearken unto me; be silent, and I will speak.
32 If thou hast anything to say, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify thee.
33 If not, hearken unto me; be silent, and I shall teach thee wisdom.
34 ¶ Furthermore, Elihu answered and said,
2 Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
3 For the ear tries words, as the mouth tastes food.
4 Let us choose our judgment; let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, I am righteous; and God has taken away my right.
6 In my judgment he was a liar, my arrow wound is grievous without my having committed a transgression.
7 What man is like Job, who drinks up the scorn like water?
8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men.
9 For he said, It shall profit a man nothing that he should conform his will with God.
10 ¶ Therefore, hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11 For he shall pay man according to his work and cause every man to find according to his ways.
12 Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.
13 Who visited the earth for him? And who set the whole world in order?
14 If he were to set his heart upon man and gather unto himself his spirit and his breath,
15 all flesh would perish together, and man would turn again unto dust.
16 ¶ If now thou hast understanding, hear this: hearken to the voice of my words.
17 Shall even he that hates judgment govern? And wilt thou condemn the Mighty One that is righteous?
18 Is it fit to say to the king, Thou art of Belial and to the princes, Ye are ungodly?
19 How much less to him who is not a respecter of the persons of princes, nor respects the rich more than the poor; for they all are the work of his hands.
20 In a moment they shall die, and the peoples shall be troubled at midnight and shall pass away; and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.
21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 For he will not lay upon man more than that which is just; that he should enter into judgment with God.
24 He shall break in pieces mighty men without number and set others in their stead.
25 Therefore, he shall cause their works to be notorious, when he shall overturn them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
26 He shall strike them as wicked men in the open sight of others
27 because thus they turned back from him and would not consider any of his ways
28 so that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he hears the cry of the afflicted.
29 When he gives rest, who then can make trouble? If he hides his face, who then can behold him? This applies to a nation and the same to a man,
30 that the hypocrite not reign, lest the people be ensnared.
31 ¶ For it is of God to say, I have forgiven, I will no longer destroy.
32 Teach me that which I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more.
33 Will he perchance finish his work by thee; whether thou refuse, or whether thou choose, or by me? Speak what thou knowest.
34 The men of understanding will say as I say, and the wise man will hearken unto me.
35 Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without prudence.
36 My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end, that there may be answers against wicked men.
37 For he added rebellion unto his sin, he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.
35 ¶ Elihu proceeded in his reasoning and said,
2 Dost thou think this to be right, when thou didst say, I am more righteous than God?
3 For thou didst say, What advantage will it be unto thee? And, What profit shall I have, if I am cleansed from my sin?
4 I will answer thee and thy companions with thee.
5 Look unto the heavens and see; and behold the heavens which are higher than thou.
6 If thou dost sin, what hast thou done against him? Or if thy rebellion is multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
7 If thou art righteous, what shalt thou give him? Or what shall he receive of thine hand?
8 Thy wickedness shall hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness shall profit the son of man.
9 ¶ By reason of the great violence they shall call out; they cry out because of the strength of the many.
10 But no one shall say, Where is God my maker, who gives songs in the night;
11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
12 There they shall cry, but he shall give no answer because of the pride of those that are evil.
13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty look upon it.
14 ¶ For much that thou dost say, he will not look upon it, submit to judgment before him, and trust thou in him.
15 But now, because he has not visited in wrath; nor is it known in great extremity;
16 therefore, Job opened his mouth in vain and multiplied words without knowledge.
36 ¶ And Elihu added and said,
2 Wait for me a little, and I will teach thee; for I yet speak on God’s behalf.
3 I will take my knowledge from afar and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4 For truly my words are not lies; for I share perfect knowledge with thee.
5 ¶ Behold, God is mighty and does not despise; he is mighty in virtue of heart.
6 He shall not give life to the wicked; but to the poor he shall give their right.
7 He shall not withdraw his eyes from the righteous; but with kings he shall place them on the throne for ever, and they shall be exalted.
8 And if they were bound in fetters and captive in cords of affliction,
9 then he shall show them their work and that their rebellions prevailed.
10 He opens their ear to instruction and commands that they turn from iniquity.
11 If they hearken and serve him, they shall spend their days in goodness and their years in delight.
12 But if they do not hearken, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.
13 But the hypocrites in heart shall irritate him more; they shall not cry out when he binds them.
14 Their soul shall die in youth, and their life is among the male pagan cult prostitutes.
15 ¶ He shall deliver the poor from his poverty, and in affliction shall open their ears.
16 Likewise, he would have removed thee out of the mouth of anguish into a broad place where there is no distress and should have set thy table full of fatness.
17 But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked, against the judgment and the justice that sustain everything.
18 Therefore it is to be feared that he take thee away with a stroke, which cannot be avoided even with a great ransom.
19 Will he esteem thy riches? No, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.
20 Do not desire the night, when he cuts people off in their place.
21 Take heed, do not regard iniquity, to choose it rather than poverty.
22 Behold, God is exalted by his power; what teacher is like him?
23 Who has prescribed his way unto him? Or who shall say unto him, Thou hast wrought iniquity?
24 ¶ Remember to magnify his work, which men behold.
25 Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.
26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
27 For he detains the drops of water; when the rain pours down rain out of its vapour,
28 which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.
29 Shall you understand the spreadings of the clouds or the noise of his tent?
30 Behold, he spreads his light upon it and covers the roots of the sea.
31 For by them he judges the peoples; he gives food to the multitude.
32 With the clouds he covers the light and commands them to come against the light.
33 The one gives news of the other; the one acquires wrath against the one that comes.
37 ¶ At this also my heart trembles and is moved out of its place.
2 Hear attentively his terrible voice and the word that goes out of his mouth.
3 He shall place it straight under the whole of the heavens, and his light shall extend unto the ends of the earth.
4 After it shall the sound roar; his valiant voice shall thunder; and he will not stay them even when his voice is heard.
5 God shall thunder marvelously with his voice; he does great things, which we cannot comprehend.
6 ¶ For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; rain after rain, and rain after rain in his strength.
7 He seals up the hand of every man that all men may know his work.
8 Then the beast shall go into its lair and inhabit its dwelling.
9 Out of the south comes the whirlwind and cold out of the north wind.
10 By the breath of God ice is given; and the broad waters are constrained.
11 In addition to this, with clarity he wearies the thick clouds; and he scatters them with his light.
12 And they are turned round about by his counsels; that they may do whatever he commands them upon the face of the world in the earth.
13 On some occasions for correction, on others for his land, on others for mercy he causes them to appear.
14 ¶ Hearken unto this, Job; stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Dost thou know when God disposed them and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
16 Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of the one who is perfect in knowledge?
17 How thy garments are warm, when he quiets the earth by the south wind?
18 Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong and as a molten looking glass?
19 Teach us what we should say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.
20 Shall it be told him when I speak? When someone is swallowed up shall it be told him?
21 ¶ Also, sometimes the clear light which is in the heavens is not seen, but the wind passes and cleanses them.
22 Fair weather comes out of the north; with God is terrible majesty.
23 Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out; he is excellent in power and in judgment, and in plenty of righteousness he will not afflict.
24 Men, therefore, shall fear him; all the crafty of heart shall not see him.
38 ¶ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Now gird up thy loins like a man; for I will enquire of thee, and answer thou me.
4 ¶ Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Cause me to know, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who ordered its dimensions, if thou knowest? Or who has stretched the line upon it?
6 Upon what are its foundations founded? Or who laid its corner stone;
7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9 When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,
10 and established my decree upon it, and set bars and doors,
11 and said, Thou shalt come unto here, but no further; and there shall the pride of thy waves be stayed.
12 ¶ Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days? Hast thou shown the dayspring its place,
13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14 It is transformed as clay to the seal and then stands as a garment;
15 but the light of the wicked is taken from them, and the high arm is broken.
16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked searching out the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all.
19 Where is the way to the habitation of the light, and where is the place of the darkness?
20 If thou shalt take it in its borders, and if thou should understand the paths to its house?
21 If thou didst know when thou wast to be born or if the number of thy days was to be great?
22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow, and hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is the light divided; from where is the east wind scattered upon the earth?
25 ¶ Who has divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters or a way for the lightning of thunder,
26 to cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man;
27 to satisfy the desolate and waste ground and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of the dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice, and the hoary frost of heaven, who has begotten it?
30 The waters harden as stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
32 Canst thou bring forth the signs of the heavens in their season, or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
33 Dost thou know the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou use its power in the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are?
36 Who put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who gave intelligence to understanding?
37 Who declared the heavens in wisdom? Or who can stay the bottles of heaven
38 when the dust hardens and the clods cleave fast together?
39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40 when they crouch in their dens and abide in their lairs to lie in wait?
41 Who provided food for the raven; when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of food?
39 ¶ Knowest thou the time when the mountain goats bring forth? Hast thou observed when the hinds calve?
2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil, and knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3 How they crouch down, they bring forth their young ones, and dismiss their pain.
4 Their young ones are healthy, they grow up with grain; they go forth and never return unto them again.
5 Who freed the wild ass, and who loosed its bands?
6 Unto whom I made a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the salty land.
7 He laughs at the multitude of the city, neither does he hearken to the voice of the exactor of tribute.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.
9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee or abide by thy crib?
10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? Will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11 Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?
12 Wilt thou trust him, that he will bring home thy seed and gather it into thy barn?
13 ¶ Didst thou give beautiful wings unto the peacock, or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
14 Who leaves her eggs in the earth and warms them in dust
15 and forgets that the foot may crush them or that the wild beast may break them.
16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, not fearing that her labour is in vain,
17 because God caused her to forget wisdom and did not give her understanding.
18 In her time she lifts up herself on high; she scorns the horse and his rider.
19 ¶ Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
20 Canst thou make him leap as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is formidable.
21 He paws at the earth and rejoices in his strength; he goes forth to meet the armed men.
22 He mocks fear and is not afraid; neither does he turn his face from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
24 He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage; the sound of the shofar does not trouble him;
25 for the blasts of the shofar fill him with courage; he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the princes and the sound of the battle-cry.
26 ¶ Does the hawk fly by thy industry and stretch her wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle mount up at thy command and make her nest on high?
28 She dwells and abides on the rock upon the crag of the rock and the strong place.
29 From there she seeks food, and her eyes behold afar off.
30 Her young ones suck up the blood; and wherever the slain are, there she is.
40 ¶ Moreover, the LORD answered Job and said,
2 Shall he that contends with the Almighty instruct him? Let him that disputes with God answer this.
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said,
4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand over my mouth.
5 Once I have spoken; but I will not answer; even twice, but I will proceed no further.
6 ¶ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
7 Gird up thy loins now like a man; I will ask thee, and explain thou unto me.
8 Wilt thou disannul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou may be justified?
9 Hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
11 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath; and behold every one that is proud and bring him down.
12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together; and blindfold their faces in darkness.
14 Then I will also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
15 ¶ Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eats grass as an ox.
16 Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
18 His bones are as strong as brass; his members are like bars of iron.
19 He is the beginning of the ways of God; he that made him shall make his sword draw near unto him.
20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
21 He shall lie down under the shade, in the covert of the reeds and of the damp places.
22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
23 Behold, he shall drink up a river and not change; he trusts that he can draw up the Jordan into his mouth.
24 His maker shall take him by the weakness of his eyes in a snare, and pierce through his nose.
41 ¶ Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook or with the cord which thou lettest down on his tongue?
2 Canst thou put a hook into his nose or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? Will he speak soft words unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee that thou shall take him for a slave for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird, or wilt thou tie him up for thy maidens?
6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? Shall they part him among the merchants?
7 Canst thou cut his skin with knives or his head with a fish spear?
8 Lay thine hand upon him; thou shalt remember the battle and do no more.
9 Behold, your hope regarding him shall fail; for even at the sight of him they shall faint.
10 No one is so bold as to dare stir him up; who then shall be able to stand before me?
11 ¶ Who has preceded me, that I should repay him? All that is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not conceal his lies, nor his might, nor the beauty of his order.
13 Who shall uncover the face of his garment? Or who shall come to him with a double bridle?
14 Who shall open the doors of his face? The orders of his teeth are terrible.
15 His scales {Heb. shields} are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another; they stick together, that they cannot be separated.
18 By his sneezings lights are lit, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
20 Out of his nostrils goes forth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
21 His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 In his neck dwells strength, and before him the work is undone.
23 The failings of his flesh are joined together; his flesh is firm in him and does not move.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; as hard as a piece of the lower millstone.
25 Of his greatness, the mighty are afraid; by reason of breakings they remove sin from themselves.
26 When one catches up to him, no sword or spear or dart or coat of mail shall endure against him.
27 He esteems iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee; with him, slingstones are turned into stubble.
29 He counts any weapon as stubble; he laughs at the shaking of a spear.
30 Broken clay vessels are under him; he carves his imprint upon the mire.
31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He makes the path shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who behaves without fear.
34 He despises all exalted things; he is king over all the sons of pride.
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